These easy and delicious keto meatballs are packed with flavor and boast a legit Italian meatball texture. Being smothered in marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese doesn’t hurt either! A low carb and gluten free meatball recipe that the entire family will LOVE.
The foundation of these Keto Meatballs Parmesan (or Parmigiana if you’re feeling fancy) are obviously the meatballs themselves. Juicy, tender, and full of flavor, a classic italian meatball is a beautiful thing.
Unfortunately, finding a decent low carb and keto meatball recipe isn’t easy.
You see, it’s the bread crumbs that usually make meatballs tender – without them you can end up with a dense, chewy mouthful that more resembles a rubber hockey puck than an authentic keto meatball.
I know because I’ve tried. So what’s a meatball loving low carber to do?
I’m very happy to report that I finally figured out a keto meatball recipe that results in tender gluten free meatballs that anyone’s Italian grandmother (I’m totally guessing here, mine is French Canadian) would be satisfied with!
They “meat” (heh heh, see what I did there?) all of the requirements of a good meatball, and won’t bust your carb budget for the day!
In fact this keto Meatballs Parmesan recipe is so good that you won’t even miss the pasta and garlic bread. Ok that might be pushing it, but they are really good, I promise!
Especially when you bathe these keto meatballs in marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese!!! Yes please.
My favorite way to eat these keto meatballs parmesan is to bake them in my easy no cook marinara sauce with a gooey topping of mozzarella cheese on top. If you don’t have time to make your own sauce, there are plenty of decent keto friendly marinara sauces out there – Rao’s is my favorite store bought one.
It’s hearty and satisfying and perfectly keto friendly.
Since even a sugar free marinara sauce does have some carbs though, I spoon about a tablespoon over each low carb meatball, which makes it easier to keep track of my macros – especially carbohydrates. Any more sauce than that gets wasted in the bottom of the pan anyway.
Same goes with the cheese – you can shred it and dump it onto the meatballs, but most of it will melt into a puddle anyway, so I just slice it and put a piece on top of each of the keto meatballs. Then I bake it until bubbly. You can also microwave it if you’re short on time, you just won’t get the nice brown color on the cheese.
The secret to tender low meatballs is the parmesan cheese, almond flour and water added to the mix. The almond flour bulks up the meatball, the cheese adds flavor and more fat, and the water creates steam when heated, which puffs them up and keeps them tender and juicy.
But don’t take my word for it, give them a try and see for yourself! And do be sure to let me know how they come out – especially if you are someone’s Italian grandmother!! ;)
Best Meat for Meatballs
Ground beef is the most common ground meat used in meatballs, but for the best flavor and texture, I prefer a mix of ground beef and ground pork. If you are only using ground beef, be sure to use an 80/20 lean to fat ratio for best results.
You can also make keto meatballs with ground turkey, but I find them to be a bit dry and the taste isn’t as good in my opinion either.
Adding a few tablespoons of grated vegetable like zucchini or mushrooms to the mixture can improve both the flavor and the moisture content when making keto meatballs with ground turkey.
Breadcrumb Replacements
In this recipe I use almond flour to bulk up and lighten these keto meatballs, but you can also use crushed pork rinds with good results – and as an added bonus it will decrease the amount of net carbs by a few grams per serving. I recommend substituting the pork rinds if you are making low carb meatballs with a nut allergy. You can also use hemp hearts or sunflower seed flour as an alternative binder.
Air Fryer or Oven Instructions
Yes! You can bake these keto meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in the oven with excellent results. They will be a little drier and not as crunchy and brown on the outside, but cleanup is easy and when baking them as a meatball casserole with sauce and cheese you won’t even notice the difference.
You can also make these meatballs in the air fryer by simply following the instructions for your model with any meatball or burger recipe – mine takes about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
The nice thing is, these keto meatballs are delicious plain, so they make a great finger-friendly lunch on the go. I like to make a bunch and freeze them in bags of 3 – 5 meatballs. If I know I’m going to be out, I can grab a bag of meatballs out of the freezer and toss it into my purse or cooler bag. A couple of hours later they are thawed, and I can just reach in and eat a few of these Italian keto meatballs, even if I’m driving in my car.
It’s a great alternative to the drive thru, and minimizes your chances of grabbing something that will wreak havoc on your diet or digestive system simply because you’re starving and desperate.
If your family isn’t eating keto or gluten free, then you can serve these low carb Italian meatballs with pasta for them and spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or even konjac noodles or palmini noodles for yourself. It’s so filling as a casserole that I’ve even eaten these keto meatballs without a side dish.
I’m also not above enjoying them over a pile of cheesy cauliflower polenta – and while it may sound weird to do that with a sauce containing tomatoes, it’s surprisingly tasty and satisfying.
These keto meatballs store well in an airtight bag or container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer
More Keto Meatball Recipes
- General Tso’s Meatballs
- Beef Stroganoff Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Turkey Saltimbocca Meatballs
- Jamaican Jerk Meatballs
Keto Meatballs – Low Carb
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 15 two-inch meatballs 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
A delicious keto Meatballs recipe that the entire family will love! Low carb, Atkins, gluten free and kid friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup almond flour (or crushed pork rinds)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 cup easy keto marinara sauce (or any sugar free store bought marinara)
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, pork, parsley, parmesan, almond flour, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, oregano, and water in a large bowl and mix well.
- Form into fifteen 2″ meatballs.
- Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 20 minutes, OR fry in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
- Pro-tip – try frying in bacon grease if you have any – it adds another level of flavor. Frying produces the golden brown color shown in the photos above.
- Place all of the cooked meatballs in an oven safe dish.
- Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce over each meatball.
- Cover with approximately 1/4 oz of mozzarella cheese each.
- Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 20 minutes (40 minutes if meatballs are frozen) or until heated through, and the cheese is golden and melted.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Approx nutrition info per “naked” meatball: 121 cals, 8g fat, .7g net carbs, 11g protein
Approx nutrition info per meatball parmigiana: 151 cals, 9g fat, 1.7g net carbs, 12g protein
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Meatballs
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 meatballs with sauce and cheese
- Calories: 453
- Fat: 27g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 36g
Need more low carb dinner ideas? Check out this post of delicious keto dinner recipes the entire family will love!
Vanessa says
My husband and I made these last night and oh my gosh, were they ever amazing. We used regular all-purpose flour instead of the almond flour, but they still turned out amazing. The parmesan cheese definitely makes a huge different in taste, and all those spices took it over the top.
We served with a large salad and (of course) garlic bread.
This one’s definitely being added to my recipe book!
kristin says
Oh boy, I just realized my mistake in my last post. forgive me haha! these are meatballs so the flour is dispersed between them all…duh!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry I didn’t get to this sooner, but yes, the almond flour is one of the few sources of carbs in the meatballs and it’s dispersed throughout the recipe! Enjoy, this is still one of my faves! :)
kristin says
These look delicious and im going to make these tonight; however, I am wondering how each meatball is roughly less than 1g carb when the almond flour alone is 12g carb per 1/2 cup. Am I thinking this the wrong way??
Meli says
Just gone done making and eating these. Delicious. I think I even forgot to add the water, but it didn’t matter. They came out soft and perfect. This is the first time I’ve ever made meatballs of any type. I had done meatloaf before with parmesan cheese, but not almond flour. Very good combination. I baked mine on parchment paper; the side against the paper turned out golden brown and crispy like it had been fried. I bet if I’d had the patience to flip them about ten minutes in, both sides would have been.
I also threw in some chia seeds. Don’t know if they helped, but they didn’t hurt.
I’m gonna try the almond flour and parmesan trick for sausage balls here one of these days. I’ve never quite gotten my homemade ones to taste as good as frozen ones, but I bet they would that way.
Thanks for this recipe and all the others. I’ve visited this site a ton since I got back on low carb.
Laura says
Just made these and they’re excellent! Had them over some zoodles (zucchini “noodles”) and Rao’s vodka sauce. Definitely created a great “spaghetti and meatballs” experience! Thanks!
Suzie says
Thanks you so much for sharing this recipe! I made them for our annual super bowl party and they were a HUGE hit! So delicious tender and moist! I will be making these on a regular basis as my husband are eating low carb and wheat free! Thanks again :)
Jenn says
What a great recipe! My only slight mishap was that for some reason my brain refused to acknowledge the one and the decimal in front of the five where the recipe calls for 1.5 lbs of ground beef, so I mistakenly thought it was asking for FIVE POUNDS! I thought this was a bit strange but kept re-checking and I just did not see the 1. in front of that 5 until after I’d already put them in the oven! Fortunately I caught this soon enough to pull them out and adjust, but it’s a good thing these meatballs taste great, because I am going to be eating them for a while.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Oh dear! You can freeze them Jenn and they reheat really well! 5lbs of meatballs is definitely A LOT! You’re comment cracked me up – so sorry though! :)
vanessa says
These were kind of disappointment for me. I’m not sure why, but I fried them in olive oil in a dutch oven pan, and they would not brown, they stuck to the pan horribly, and essentially fell apart in the pan. ;(
Do you use a nonstick pan for frying?
vanessa says
Whoops – just saw your earlier comment about using a nonstick pan. Wish I read that before I started cooking…!
Mellissa Sevigny says
SO sorry Vanessa! What a bummer! :( I hope that you’ll try again so that you can have them at their best! You can also bake them which is easier, but you don’t get the yummy crust on them – still great though!
Tracy says
The meatballs in this recipe were fabulous! Highly recommended! The meatballs freeze good too.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Tracy, glad you liked these! Of all the many meatball monday recipes I’ve done, this is still one of my all time favorites to make and eat here at home!
sp says
Love these! I was so eager to make them I found out I forgot the eggs and the water and they are still delicious! Can’t wait to try them with ALL the ingredients!! Thanks!!!